There are many people who have difficulty holding and using writing instruments or cannot use them because of limited, varying, or minimal hand or finger gripping ability. This may be the result of a number of conditions ranging from brain impairment to severe cases of arthritis of the hand, digital deformities, missing fingers, or merely a single sprained, cut, broken or a mild or severe cramped finger or hand or group of fingers. Hand injuries are very common among younger persons, as is arthritis to the older population. Also the pain due to arthritis or conditions such as Tendinitis, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis, Cerebral Palsy, and Brain or spinal chord injury makes holding conventional writing instruments very difficulty, if not impossible.
It has been found through research that arthritis, or inflammation of the joints is the most common condition affecting people in the United States. Inflammation of the finger joints will affect functionality to varying degrees from a mild pain causing discomfort from the prolonged holding and use of a writing or other instrument, to the more severe form of arthritis which may cause a deformity of the fingers rendering them misshapen for conventional use in grasping or holding a narrow diameter object using the conventional three fingers to apply direct pressure to the instrument for the control of the instrument. Due to the wide range of user's needs it is not an easy or practical task to design a device which will take into account the variety and shapes of support needed to accommodate every instance of hand or finger injury or deformity.
The field of Ergonomics in the workplace is emerging, fueled by workers compensation claims for injuries to the wrist, hand and fingers. One Ergonomics objective is to make the tool fit the worker, and not force-fit the worker to the tool. Simultaneously, research institutions, private and governmental, are discovering underlying causes of Musculoskeletal difficulties. The nature of Repetitive Stress Injuries is just now being understood. It has been suggested that arthritis of the hand, for instance, may be as a result of the incorrectly shaped tools we use over a long period of time; and not necessarily a function of "Old Age" as previously thought. Ergonomics is uncovering and changing many such beliefs. The focus now is to recognize harmful work/play habits and change the tools we use to make them more adaptable and comfortable for use.
No such device has been made readily available for every day use, nor is there a device that gives the appearance of a prosthetic device used by "cripples", that is simple and common, that is inexpensive to manufacture, to the extent that it might be a "use and throw away" off-the-shelf disposable item, as common as a pen or pencil which is gripped by the device.
A number of devices have been patented which resolve a very specific comfort range, or type or impairment or designated task such as:
"Implement Holding Cuff" by Bischoff et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,602,885, July 1986, which is designed for the physically handicapped and will contain a hand, fingers, and instrument within a controllable cage or cuff to cradle a nonfunctioning hand.
"Rolling Support for Writing Instruments" of Russell A. Schroeder, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 2,497,418, February 1950, whose rolling hand rest writing device must be in contact with the writing surface, is not a hand held device, and concentrates on persons with total digital impairment or hand paralysis, shifting the emphasis to arm and shoulder control to provide the ability to write.
The J. F. Hume, U.S. Pat. No. 1,438,114, December 1922, "Writing Implement" comprising a whole hand palm size sliding ball with embedded pen designed to teach proper penmanship while supporting the hand, and which assumes that normal digital control exists.
The patent of H. G. Eastman, Pat. No. 78,655, issued June 1868, "Improvement In Pen Holders" employs a unique egg-shaped palm rest coupled with slip-in finger holders for the correct positioning of the pen, but the design does not provide for pressure of the palm to aid in the writing process, nor for non-finger use, or for gripping the instrument other than by conventional methods.
The "Tool Holding Appliance" Winter et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,606,484, issued Aug. 19, 1986 utilizes a device which is strapped on to the palm of the hand and holds very specifically designed tools and utensils and is intended for persons with limited hand mobility. A more significant invention in this field by Brody, Pat. No. 4,523,781, issued Jun. 18, 1985 was specifically designed for those persons suffering from arthritis and others having reduced gripping ability. Brody's device, a palm size, barrel-shaped, clam-shell-type instrument holder is meant to be held and manipulated within the palm of the hand, and when a user lacks any digital dexterity, the device can be strapped onto the hand. Brody's design assumes that a normal "palm" or open palm does exist and has limited application for controlled downward pressure other than through the attachable hand strap or gripping of the barrel, and does not make allowances for: more adaptable hand positioning as the individual deformity may require for comfort or for unorthodox use of those parts of the hand such as the "V" joints between fingers; or the palm and inner finger joint only, without the use of the actual fingers; or the use of any two desired fingers however closely or widely spaced; or unbending fingers that may still be usable for downward pressure and control of a writing instrument.
There are other numerous patented writing instrument holders which tie on, strap on, or slip on or through, but each such holder is designed to overcome a specific infirmity or add a degree of ease and comfort. Based on prior art known to this inventor, no hand-held writing instrument holder is available that has the adaptability of my writing instrument holder, or offers the many simultaneous combinations as is needed by the user, the many compound vertical, horizontal, bevelled, rounded, concave, convex or volute surfaces for variable open-finger grasping positions, or degree of control from parts of the finger exerting pressure and manipulation, or the capability of using the palm of the hand in conjunction with an opposing member in an unorthodox manner for holding and guiding a writing instrument or other type of instrument, providing the restoration of writing abilities, even though minimal prehensile ability exists and absolutely unorthodox highly individualized methods are called for and employed.
It is also important to provide an instrument holder for use by persons having normal holding and writing skills which reduces the gripping forces required to manipulate conventional instruments and which reduces the discomfort, fatigue and/or pain encountered in the performance of repeated operations.